Representation of Women in Public Property – SF.gov

Report on Gender Representation in San Francisco Public Spaces and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Legislative Mandate and Purpose

In 2018, the City and County of San Francisco passed Ordinance 243-18, a legislative measure designed to address and rectify gender inequality in public representation. This action aligns with a commitment to achieving key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the municipal level.

1. Mandate Requirement: The ordinance stipulates that a minimum of 30% of public spaces and properties must represent women.
2. Scope of Application: This mandate encompasses public art installations, the naming of streets and buildings, and the dedication of historic monuments, plaques, and other designated public spaces.
3. Specific Directive: A notable provision required the Arts Commission to erect a monument honoring Dr. Maya Angelou at the Main Library, directly contributing to the visibility of influential women.

2.0 Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Ordinance 243-18 serves as a practical implementation of several global sustainability and equality targets.

• SDG 5: Gender Equality: The ordinance is a direct policy action aimed at achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls by ensuring their contributions are visibly and permanently recognized within the community’s public landscape.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: By actively correcting the historical imbalance in public commemoration, the city is taking concrete steps to reduce long-standing inequalities in representation.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: This initiative fosters the creation of inclusive and sustainable urban environments. Ensuring that public spaces reflect the diversity of the population is critical to making cities and human settlements culturally representative and equitable for all residents.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The ordinance and its associated tracking mechanism exemplify the development of effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at a local level, which is a cornerstone of this goal.

3.0 Implementation and Monitoring Framework

A structured, multi-agency approach has been established to oversee the ordinance’s implementation and ensure progress toward its goals.

• Lead Monitoring Body: The Department on the Status of Women is charged with the primary responsibility of tracking the implementation of this mandate.
• Inter-Agency Collaboration: Successful execution requires coordination with key municipal bodies, including the Arts Commission, the Recreation and Parks Department, and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
• Accountability and Reporting: The Department on the Status of Women is required to release a comprehensive public report every two years, detailing the progress made in the representation of women in public spaces.

4.0 Current Status and Assessment

Biennial reporting indicates that while some progress has been made since the ordinance was enacted, the City and County of San Francisco remains significantly behind its mandated 30% target. This shortfall underscores the ongoing challenge in fully realizing the ordinance’s objectives and achieving the associated Sustainable Development Goals related to gender equality and inclusive communities.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  This goal is central to the article. The San Francisco ordinance directly addresses gender inequality by mandating a specific percentage for the representation of women in the public sphere. The effort to name streets, erect monuments, and create public art honoring women is a direct attempt to achieve greater gender equality in the cultural and historical representation within the city.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  This goal is also relevant as the article focuses on public spaces within a city. The ordinance aims to make San Francisco’s public spaces more inclusive and representative of its entire population. An inclusive city ensures that the contributions of all its members, including women, are visibly acknowledged, contributing to a more equitable and sustainable urban environment.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.

  The article connects to the “public life” aspect of this target. While not about holding office, the representation of women in monuments and place names is a powerful statement about their role and value in the public life of a community. The ordinance is a policy action designed to ensure women’s contributions are recognized, which is a form of participation and visibility in the public sphere.

• Target 11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities.

  The ordinance directly addresses the goal of making public spaces more “inclusive.” A public space that overwhelmingly or exclusively memorializes men is not fully inclusive of women. By mandating that 30% of public spaces represent women, the city is taking a concrete step to make these areas more reflective of and welcoming to the entire population, thereby enhancing their inclusivity.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Yes, the article mentions and implies several clear indicators for measuring progress:

  • Quantitative Representation Mandate: The most direct indicator is the specific, measurable goal set by Ordinance 243-18, which is that “women be represented in 30% of public spaces and property.” This percentage serves as a clear benchmark against which progress can be tracked.
  • Scope of Measurement: The indicator is further defined by the specific areas to be measured: “public art projects, street and building names and historic monuments, plaques and other designated spaces.”
  • Reporting Mechanism: The article explicitly states that the Department on the Status of Women is responsible for tracking and that it releases a “comprehensive report on the representation of women in public spaces” every other year. This report is the official tool for measuring and communicating progress on the indicator.
  • Project-Specific Indicator: The mandate to “erect a monument to Maya Angelou at the Main Library” serves as a specific, tangible project-level indicator of implementation. Its completion is a measurable sign of progress.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators’ to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: sf.gov